SHANGHAI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The GSMA today announced that leading Sri Lankan operators Dialog Axiata
and Mobitel will launch a beta trial of the GSMA Mobile Connect service
that will allow consumers to conveniently, securely and consistently
access a wide array of digital services by using their smartphones and
feature phones as devices for authentication. The service will be
launched in conjunction with select Sri Lankan online service providers
including Kapruka, MyDeal and WoW and will be made available to
participating subscribers by the end of June. The GSMA also announced
that leading SIM technology providers Gemalto, Giesecke & Devrient,
Morpho, Oberthur Technologies, and VALID are working with the GSMA and
mobile operators to develop authentication applets to accelerate the
widespread deployment of Mobile Connect services.

“Consumers are increasingly concerned over the security of their digital
identity and mobile operators are ideally positioned to enable consumers
to manage this by ensuring they can interact and access services in a
private, trusted and secure way,” said Anne Bouverot, Director General,
GSMA. “Both the trial and the support of the major SIM technology
providers are important steps as the industry works in cooperation to
accelerate and establish a consistent and standardised set of services
for managing digital authentication and identity globally.”

“Dialog Axiata is honoured to be a partner in this first beta launch of
GSMA Mobile Connect, alongside Mobitel and leading service providers
from Sri Lanka’s digital services eco-system,” said Dr. Hans
Wijayasuriya, Group Chief Executive of Dialog Axiata Sri Lanka and
Axiata Group Digital Services. “Through this trial we intend to actively
demonstrate the power and convenience of a trusted digital
authentication method, centred on the mobile phone. Dialog and the
Axiata Group are collectively committed to further innovation in mobile
digital identity and look forward to playing a lead role in the
evolution of this inclusive and consumer friendly alternative to
web-based authentication technology.”

“Mobitel is pleased to be cooperating with Dialog and renowned service
providers for another world’s first enabled by the GSMA. The launch by
both Mobitel and Dialog marks a first implementation of the Mobile
Connect service anywhere in the world and demonstrates interoperability
of services across operators,” said Kapila Chandrasena, CEO Mobitel.
“Consumers today yearn for more on-line, on-demand services from a
multitude of service providers and this requires them to manage many
different login credentials which can hinder the convenience and
seamless accessibility for the user. We are certain that GSMA Mobile
Connect will provide a rich user experience, leveraging readily
available and ubiquitous mobile technologies, while ensuring security
for both the consumer and the service provider for a convenient and safe
transaction.”

SIM Technology ProvidersSupport Mobile Connect

The world’s leading SIM technology providers, including Gemalto,
Giesecke & Devrient, Morpho, Oberthur Technologies, and VALID, are
working with operators and the GSMA to develop authentication applets
that can be downloaded over the air using SMS, a step that will
facilitate the rapid rollout of Mobile Connect services on a global
basis. The SIM applet provides the challenge/response mechanism through
which the user interacts with the Mobile Connect service. By using the
security of the SIM, twinned with the secure mobile channel, operators
are able to provide a high level of assurance for authentication and
identity assertion services. Furthermore, the use of the SIM as a secure
repository and verification engine supports user privacy by ensuring
that the user’s PIN is never stored centrally or accessible to any third
party, including the mobile operators. The SIM technology providers will
include this applet as a standard feature in the SIMs offered to mobile
network operators with a targeted availability by end of 2014.

The Sri Lankan launch marks a first implementation of the Mobile Connect
service anywhere in the world and demonstrates interoperability of
services across operators, and with the support of major SIM technology
providers paves the way for further launches of the Mobile Connect
service over the next year. In addition, Etisalat Group is expected to
launch Mobile Connect services in the third quarter of 2014, and, in
line with their commitments to providing customers with the highest
possible level of security, Orange intends to provide Mobile
Connect-based solutions across Europe and Africa and the Middle East by
2015.Ooredoo is also aiming to provide similar services in South East
Asia in the same time frame.

Kapruka, MyDeal and WoW are some of the largest consumer online retail
sites in Sri Lanka. Kapruka is an ecommerce site with over 10,000
products and over 30 types of distinct services. MyDeal is a large daily
deal site for Colombo and Sri Lanka where users can benefit from large
discounts on goods. WoW consists of a large online mall with over 3,000
products from over 60 businesses and WoW Deals offers online daily deals
to consumers.

About the GSMA

The GSMA represents the interests of mobile operators
worldwide. Spanning more than 220 countries, the GSMA unites nearly 800
of the world’s mobile operators with more than 250 companies in the
broader mobile ecosystem, including handset makers, software companies,
equipment providers and Internet companies, as well as organisations in
industry sectors such as financial services, healthcare, media,
transport and utilities. The GSMA also produces industry-leading events
such as the Mobile World Congress and Mobile Asia Expo.

For more information, please visit the GSMA corporate website at www.gsma.com.
Follow the GSMA on Twitter: @GSMA.